Thing is, the data horses have already bolted. Well, some of them.
Under Cummings, this government has already signed contracts to hand over wodges of our data to companies like Palantir and Faculty.
Vote Leave AI firm wins seven government contracts in 18 months
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/04/vote-leave-ai-firm-wins-seven-government-contracts-in-18-months
Faculty is working at the heart of the government’s response to the pandemic. It has been processing large volumes of confidential UK patient information in an “unprecedented” data-mining operation alongside Palantir, a US firm founded by the libertarian billionaire Peter Thiel.
The above data-processing has been part of the Coronavirus response, but Cummings has been after govt-held personal data on UK citizens from the moment he got through the doors of No 10.
There have been various soothing noises made, that these Big Data companies aren't allowed to use our data except for coronavirus purposes or with our permission. But we've seen just exactly how much respect for the rules Cummings and his friends actually have – from the Cambridge Analytica scandal to this weekend's revelations.
Cummings seems to work on the basis of: "Will I get away with it?"
Followed by: "And if I don't get away with it, will I get away with it anyway – because what can they do to me?"
So... this is an area where it might make quite a big difference whether he has an official position or is just the voice in Johnson's ear down a phone line. But it's also an area where much of the damage may already have been done. Don't know.